Toronto-based accessibility platform Fable announced that it has closed a $10.5M USD Series A financing round. The round was led by Five Elms Capital, with participation from Difference Partners, Disruption Ventures and several notable angels including John Ruffolo, one of Canada’s most prominent investors and an advocate for accessibility and inclusion. This round follows a $1.5M USD seed round led by Disruption Ventures in 2020.

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The accessibility industry has experienced rapid growth over the last several years, alongside the growth of companies prioritizing user experience.

“Accessibility isn’t just about people with disabilities,” says Fable CEO Alwar Pillai, “it’s about prioritizing users with the most complex set of needs, and as a result building a better experience for everyone.”

Fable already counts the tech world’s behemoths amongst its customers. Companies like Meta, Walmart and Microsoft are all using Fable to engage with people with disabilities. Large enterprises have complex products that are constantly being iterated and improved, and feedback from end-users is essential in that process.

After the successful launch and adoption of their flagship product, Engage, Fable is now tackling education. Fable Upskill aims to support customers’ entire inclusive product development journey.

“Accessibility is a growing industry, but the skill sets haven’t caught up to the demand. Fable Upskill helps customers level up their teams and build the skills they need to build products that delight all their users,” says Pillai.

Fable Upskill uses custom video-based courses to help teams gain the accessibility skills they need. And companies like Microsoft are jumping at the opportunity.

“Working with an organization that shares the same passion around developer accessibility that Microsoft does has been invigorating, which is why we are so excited for Fable’s latest fundraising news. We are looking forward to the awesome things to come and a continued accessibility partnership with Fable,” shared Dona Sarkar, Director of Technology – Microsoft Accessibility, Microsoft.

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“Ultimately, our goal is to empower people with disabilities to participate, contribute, and shape society. By working with companies who serve millions of users, we’re well on our way,” concludes Pillai.

On Global Accessibility Awareness Day later this week, Fable will be introducing a new skill development program created by people with disabilities, for people with disabilities.